All Data Is Fake
Short Definition
A provocative claim that consequential public data is often distorted by incentives, selection bias, and narrative framing.
Expanded Description
In Adams' framing, high-impact datasets are rarely neutral because incentives shape collection, analysis, and interpretation. The phrase is rhetorical, intended to trigger stronger skepticism around how claims are constructed.
The practical guidance is to inspect method, context, and motive before treating statistics as objective truth.
Persuasion Insight
Numbers are persuasive because they appear objective. Challenging data quality can shift debate toward incentives and assumptions instead of raw claims.